Shipbuilding History

Sources of Data

Books and Other Documents:

• (1) "The Shipbuilding Business in the United States of America" (Fassett, ed., SNAME, 1948)
• (2) "Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1860-1905" (Chesneau and Kolesnik, Conway Maritime Press, 1979)
• (3) "Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1906-1921" (Gray, Conway Maritime Press, 1985)
• (4) "Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1922-1946" (Chesneau, Conway Maritime Press, 1980)
• (5) "Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships, 1947-1995" (Chumbley, Conway Maritime Press, 1995)
• (6) "Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775-1990" (Bauer and Roberts, Greenwood Press, 1991)
• (7) "History of U.S. Naval Operations in WWII", 15 volumes, (Morison, Little Brown & Co., 1984)
• (8) "Combat Fleets of the World" (Naval Institute Press, various years)
• (9) "The Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet" (Fahey, and Polmar, Naval Institute Press, various years)
• (10) "U.S. Small Combatants" (Friedman, Naval Institute Press, 1987)
• (11) "U.S. Amphibious Ships and Craft" (Friedman, Naval Institute Press, 2002)
• (12) "U.S. Coast Guard Cutters & Craft of World War II" (Scheina, Naval Institute Press, 1982)
• (13) "U.S. Army Ships and Watercraft of World War II" (Grover, Naval Institute Press, 1987)
• (14) "Report of Army Small Boat Construction , 1 July 1940 to 31 May 1945" (War Department, 1945)
• (15) "Sail Army" (Harding, Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, 2005)
• (16) "US Naval Vessels 1943" (Naval Institute Press, 1986)
• (17) "Warships of World War II", several different volumes, (Lenton & Colledge, Ian Allan, 1964)
• (18) "From America to United States: The History of the Long-Range Merchant Shipbuilding Program of the US Maritime Commission" (Sawyer and Mitchell, World Ship Society, 1984)
• (19) "The Liberty Ships" (Sawyer and Mitchell, Lloyd's Press, 1970)
• (20) "Victory Ships and Tankers" (Sawyer and Mitchell, Lloyd's Press, 1974)
• (21) "The Oceans, the Forts and the Parks" two volumes, (Sawyer and Mitchell, Sea Breezes, 1966)
• (22) "Ships for Victory" (Lane, Johns Hopkins Press, 1954)
• (23) "Merchant Vessels of the United States" (USSB, USMC, USMA, various years)
• (24) "Ships' Data - U. S. Naval Vessels" (Department of the Navy, 1911 thru 1922, 1945)
• (25) "Naval Vessel Register" (Department of the Navy, 1949)

Web Sites:

• (1) "NAVSOURCE Photo Archive" (www.navsource.org) - by far the best!
• (2) "Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships" (www.hazegray.org/danfs/)
• (3) "Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships" (www.history.navy.mil/danfs/index.html)
• (4) "Naval Vessel Register" (www.nvr.navy.mil)
• (5) "Record" (American Bureau of Shipping) (www.eagle.org)
• (6) "The Liberty Ship Page" (www.fiu.edu/~thompsop/liberty/liberty1.html)
• (7) "The T-2 Tanker Page" (www.t2tanker.org)
• (8) "Once There Was An Industry" (www.perbro.dk)
• (9) "Inland River Record" (www.waterwaysjournal.net)
• (10) "Miramar Ship Index" (www.miramarshipindex.org.nz)
• (11) The Coast Guard's data base (cgmix.uscg.mil/PSIX/VesselSearch.aspx)
• (12) NOAA's version of the Coast Guard's data base (www.st.nmfs.gov/st1/CoastGuard/index.html)
• (13) "BoatInfoWorld"'s version of the Coast Guard's data base (www.boatinfoworld.com)
• (14) "U.S. Navy Harbor Tug Boats" (www.navytugs.com)
• (15) "Ship Scribe" (www.shipscribe.com)
• (16) The Coast Guard's Cutter List (www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/CUTTERLIST.asp)
• (17) Transport Canada's Vessel Registration System (https://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/Saf-Sec-Sur/4/vrqs-srib/eng/vessel-registrations/search)

Periodicals:

Numerous periodicals, including "Marine Log", the Naval Institute's "Proceedings", the Navy League's "Sea Power", the RINA's "Warship", "Offshore", "Workboat", "Waterways Journal", "Tradewinds", "Fairplay", "Lloyd's List", "Professional Mariner", "Defense News" and others.

Special-Interest Web Sites and Blogs:

The countless web sites and blogs organized by and for people with interests in different aspects of U.S. naval and maritime history.

Companies:

The web sites and SEC filings of individual shipbuilders, ship owners and operators, marine manufacturers and other companies involved in the maritime industry.

People:

Several individuals have made tremendous contributions, for which I am particularly grateful.  Listed alphabetically, they are David Asprey, Carel and Hugo Boon, Per Bro, Kevin Kopp, Ingo Steller and Rollie Webb.  In addition, countless other individuals throughout the industry and around the world have sent in a host of additions, corrections and updates.